


The Fazbear Fix

by GryphonHail



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fanfiction, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Gen, M/M, Multi, pizzeria, restaurant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 08:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8279903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GryphonHail/pseuds/GryphonHail
Summary: Mark Edward Fischbach (Markiplier) is down on his luck, unable to find a decent job and perhaps slowly going insane from being alone in his apartment 24hrs a day trying to scrape money together from his YouTube. It's a poor existence... until he gets a call to change his life forever. Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, where all the drama doesn't just happen on the stage.





	1. Setting the Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing anything remotely 'serious' in terms of actual plot or length. This chapter stands at about 2900 words so there are bound the errors as there is no beta-reader. If you see any errors that might need correcting, please do not hesitate in posting it in a comment, feedback is very much appreciated as it will help me to improve my writing. Thank you!

 

"Great! We'll have you in on Friday at around 9PM, that should give you plenty of time for you to think over the weekend to prepare for a full week and enough for your buddy to show you around and give you the basic rundown of the systems you'll be working with. Keep in mind it's not NASA grade equipment we're using here so expect to see a few uh... kinks in the system. Do you have any questions?"

Wow. A job? Mark could hardly believe his luck having spent the past four months scraping together enough money for his bills and looking for a job only to finally have one land right in his lap! Were things finally looking up for him?

"Oh yeah uh, wh-what do you mean by buddy?" in truth he had several questions buzzing about in his mind all varying in importance but the shock of the sudden call and how late it was right now, being almost 11PM, the one word 'buddy' was all he picked up on as he mentally kicked himself for not asking the more important questions first. Perhaps his 'buddy' could answer some for him...

"Right right, you'll have a worker on the day-shift ready to help you out if you need any help. Think of him as more of an assistant, the term buddy is simply a 'friendly' term we use in front of the kids heh. He'll answer any questions you have and should be able to cover for you if you're unable to get in for work, but I trust that won't be necessary?" the man answered. It made sense, since kids were the target audience at the restaurant what with the moving animatronics and parties using friendly terms such as buddy could be understandable. A little odd maybe...

"Oh don't you worry sir, I've a great track record when it comes to work!" at this point Mark was desperate, saying just about anything to make himself more appealing an employee.

A quiet snigger was heard in the background over the phone yet the man speaking kept his composure. "Alright. Remember, this Friday at 9PM. You'll have permission to park in the staff lot 'round the back. Best of luck!" with that the man hung up.

"Okay I'll be sure t-" Mark blinked at the phone and put it down before jumping on the bed, fist-punching the air. "FUCK YEAH! I GOT A JOB!"

His celebration was short lived when angry thumping came from the wall next to his bed. "Hey go to sleep dummy!"

Mark ducked his head sheepishly. In his outburst he'd completely forgotten the time... and the fact , the seventy-two year old neighbour was a light sleeper. "S-Sorry ma'am. Go back to sleep I'll keep it down!" best not anger her, after all she was his landlord...

* * *

The week passed fairly quickly and before he even knew it, Friday had arrived. He made sure to dress nicely though the job-advert stated no uniform requirements for the night shift since there would be no customers to see him anyways. It would be more a vanity check to actually supply one though luckily jeans and a t-shirt were allowed to which Mark was thankful. He never really liked uniforms, felt it took away from the employee and turned them into a nameless face of a company rather than showing their personality or preferences, but then again all companies were like that nowadays... priding themselves on appearances rather than the workers themselves.

He'd arrived early, wanting to check the outside of the place first just to be sure what he was dealing with in terms of security though received a few funny looks from the cleaning staff as they headed home. Perhaps wandering aimlessly with no uniform around the border of the restaurant grounds was a little shady but he was just curious. There was a tall black vertical-barred fence running the length of its border standing no less than eight-foot tall with sharp ornate spikes at the top of each bar. Seemed a little overkill but at least it meant there was less chance of an actual break-in though Mark did note two bars that troubled him. They were bent apart so far it seemed inhumanly possible to have been done without some kind of jack or equipment. A weakness in the defence... that didn't bode well though he ignored it for now. Wasn't like a restaurant was much worth to break into right?

"You Mark?" a voice called from behind him.

Mark jumped a foot high, spinning mid-air only to land on his ass in the gravel. "Whutha-Ow!"

The man could only laugh and held his hand out to help Mark to his feet.  
He was short standing roughly five-foot three, a little on the skinny side with fair skin and brown eyes, a messy mop of chestnut-brown hair seeming to hold no style draped no further than his shoulders. He was dressed in uniform, navy-blue or perhaps purple. His voice was smooth though not too deep as he spoke with what could only be described as an Aussie accent. "Sorry mate, didn't mean to startle ya".

Mark grumbled as he accepted the hand up and dusted himself down. "No no it's fine. I was just uh, you know. Checking the perimeter and whatnot..." he totally didn't sound like a stalker right about now.

The man raised a brow and smiled. "Wow. Great track record AND doing security checks before your shift's even started" the man sniggered and Mark's mind instantly made the connection, this was the man in the background over the phone! "Name's Chris."

"Mark... s-so you work here?"

"Oh yeah, day shift. It's fun if a little noisy but business is great, rewarding when you get to see all the smiles on the children though not so much when they're pouring cola on your shoes..." Chris laughed and pat Mark's shoulder as he led the way back to the main doors. "But don't get me wrong, the night shift is pretty cool too. I mean, without you someone might break into the place and steal one of the animatronics so your job is just as important!".

Mark blinked and forced a smile. 'Great save buddy' he thought to himself. "Oh yeah the animatronics... how many are there?"

Chris paused in his step and looked at Mark seriously for a moment. "...You've really never been here before? ...well there are four of them. Four main ones then there's the spares in the back plus one that appears now and then."

Appears now and then? Before Mark could question that phrase Chris disappeared through the doors into the reception area and led the way into the main hall.  
It was a large open space with black and white checker patterned vinyl or possibly laminate flooring, six long tables in the middle of the room covered with white rainbow-sprinkle table-cloths and two low-rise stages. On one end was the larger stage on which stood three animatronics, a brown-bear, blue/purple rabbit and a yellow duck (chicken) whilst the other stage was smaller, round and currently covered by a sparkly purple curtain. Along the walls were various pictures drawn by the children showing their day at the place. It was rather cute to be honest.

"There they are. Main guys up there on that stage. You've got Bonnie which is the bunny there, Chica the chicken and o'course the big guy, Freddy himself. On the other stage there's Foxy, he's a-" before Chris could finish, Mark waved a hand to dismiss further introductions.

"Lemme guess, a fox?" Mark sighed and eyed the main stage again. "Why's he called Freddy? I mean like, Chica Chicken, Bonnie Bunny, Foxy Fox... why not something like Bobo Bear you know? Alliteration..."

Chris could only stare, trying to ignore the fact Bonnie was smirking to himself on stage and Freddy didn't seem at all amused... luckily Mark had already turned his back on them. "Uh... h-he's named after the founder. Mr Frederick Fazbearson started the first restaurant and slowly the place just got bigger and better over the years".

Mark could only roll his eyes. He just wanted a job, not a history lesson, he doubted he'd even last more than a week knowing his bad luck with keeping a job. "Right... couldn't you do a better beak for the chicken? ...looks more like a duck..." he muttered and wandered towards the far end of the hall.

Chris blinked, his jaw dropping at the words yet strangely enough he couldn't help a slight smile creeping onto his face even as he looked to the stage again to see the animatronics glaring daggers into Marks back. All the workers respected the animatronics but Mark was going to be a complete wildcard... no doubt there would be drama caused but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing...

In the office, Chris gave Mark a very basic rundown on the equipment he'd be using: doors, camera's and lights as well as giving him the warning of closing both doors for too long as doing so would limit the fresh air reaching the office. Mark seemed confused about the 'low energy' allowance over night but agreed to all the rules and signed everything he needed to. Finally, it was time for Chris to leave... and Mark's first night to begin.

* * *

Mark took the liberty of taking a quick walk around the restaurant roughly ten minutes before his shift to double-check all was safe. It wasn't a requirement but a quick walk before having to sit for six hours staring at a camera feed sounded like a good idea.  
The cleaners had done a good enough job. He checked the doors, windows and had a quick snoop through the kitchen fridge for a the promised can of Pepsi and leftover apple-pie before finally making his way back to the office to settle for the long night ahead with a gaming magazine and his PSP for later should he get bored which he assumed he most definitely would do.

At exactly three minutes past midnight his trouble began. Reading an article Mark was interrupted, distracted by noise from the left hallway though he shook it off as nothing more than the ventilation settling for the night. This place was old, there was bound to be noises and creaks at night... right? The noises grew louder, closer even until Mark could ignore them no longer. Rolling the chair to the door he pressed the light and peeked through the doorway only to be met with two black eyes with glowing white pupils, purple fur and an open jaw, Bonnie standing motionless mere inches from his face and looking ready to bite at a moments notice. One of two things ran through Mark's mind: 'TEETH!' and of course, 'DOOR!'.

The guard flailed, leaning backwards to slam his palm against the door button before the chair tipped, sending him tumbling to the ground with all the grace of a car-crash, smacking his head against the back-wall, dazing himself momentarily. Bonnie barely caught sight of the tumble but certainly did hear it even with the sound of the door slamming down. Although the guard seemed to be a little rude and slow on the uptake, he was their responsibility to protect even through their 'test'.

Giving a pained groan Mark struggled to his feet, holding the back of his head before inspecting his hand. Luckily it didn't seem he was bleeding anywhere but he certainly felt rattled, a dull pain seeming to endlessly gnaw at the back of his head to the point he feared he might have a concussion. Pushing all thoughts aside he set about righting the fallen chair before checking his back-pocket... drat! His phone was still in his pocket when he fell resulting in a cracked screen. True enough it was an old phone and needed replacing but Mark wasn't one to replace things unless it was absolutely necessary, the phone still worked perfectly...

Again his thoughts were interrupted. Noise from the right hallway indicating another attacker was on the way. Without further hesitation, he partially leapt across the room to slam the right door down too. It was his first night he was hardly going to let them beat him so easily.

Outside the right hallway, Bonnie now stood with Chica looking through the glass window with a concerned expression though Mark didn't even want to look at them. These things were animatronics, inanimate save only for their daytime programming so why the heck were they walking around and more importantly, trying to get into his office! It made no sense whatsoever, someone had to be controlling them or... they were haunted? Mark was normally a down-to-earth kind of guy, believing only what he could see and hear and this was something that just threw him for a loop. Ghosts didn't exist and there was no such thing as curses, or at least in his opinion.

Bonnie tapped the glass, drawing Mark's attention for a split second but rather than the usual purple furred rabbit he saw something else entirely.  
True, it was still purple but those eyes were shining red and those rounded white teeth replaced with bloodied sharp daggers spilling out of the rabbit's jaw like something out of Jurassic Park. The fur seemed to sway as though having a life of its own and Chica well, she looked no better. That duck-like beak replaced with a vicious hooked flesh-ripping one anyone would expect to see on an eagle, her eyes blood red and fixed as though burrowing their way into his very soul.  
The sounds of screeches, garbled words and laughter were all Mark could hear before darkness finally clouded his vision and he collapsed in the office...

* * *

"Come on mate, wake up! Ya can't die on the first night..."

Mark was eventually woken finding himself sitting in a bed with bright lights above, continuous bleeping somewhere to his left and something nudging his right arm and... licking him? What the-  
Looking down his eyes finally adjusted enough and he was met with heated, stinky breath and... dog. Grey eyes, blue-merle tri-colour fur... no doubting it was a dog.

Chris was standing beside the bed sipping a McDonalds coca-cola, grinning when he noted Mark had finally woken up. "'Bout time you woke up maye, was startin' to worry you'd given up... suppose it's a good thing you started your shift on Friday though I guess it's not... I doubt you wanted to spend your weekend here in hospital". he sighed.

"Wh-what? What even happened I... I was in the office an-RABBIT! Th-TH-THE RABBIT AND CHICKEN MOVED! THEY CAME AFTER ME!" Mark screamed, sitting up suddenly though instantly regretted it, the blood rushing from his head as he fell back against the bed again with a groan.

"Woah woah, calm down. You took a pretty big knock to your head there in the office... and almost suffocated yourself. Were you even listening to anything I told you?" Chris frowned, tilting his head slightly whilst noisily digging into a paper bag before pulling out a cheese-hamburger and offering it to Mark. "Staff told me you were allowed to eat once you'd woken up... it's not exactly a healthy option but, figured you'd be wanting something like this after all you've been through."

Oh Mark could just kiss the guy right now, instantly grabbing the offering and tearing off the paper. "Are you kidding me?! I'm starving!" he began munching the burger the moment it left the paper.

"Yikes Mark, I said eat not inhale..." Chris chuckled and reached to take it away only to be glared at by Mark.

"Fuck you this is mine!" he mumbled, mouth full.

Chris blinked and grinned. "Oh right... that's uh, ten eighty-nine then I think?" he chuckled once more at Mark's confused expression. "What? Food and delivery service to your bed, literally! I think I'm entitled to that much... plus the time I spent stopping Nova from eating your lunch."

Mark grumbled and wiped his mouth. "They expect me to work on Monday?"

"I think you could use a little more time off... considering it IS Monday today..." Chris tilted his head, sitting down and petting the dog. "They agreed to pay you a week early despite policy and they've paid for your hospital bill. You car is still in the parking lot and safe, I took the liberty of driving it round the back to the staff parking so it wouldn't get smashed up or stolen in the open lot and you won't get a ticket either... the pay might be shit but the boss isn't bad..."

He hadn't even thought about the hospital bill or his car, last thing he needed was bills sapping his first paycheck, he needed that money to repay his neighbour and catch up on debt... now he had half the mind to kiss his boss, regardless who they were. "Seriously? Wh-I-I don't... why?"

Chris gave that signature grin, a mix of smug friendliness. "Oh, they felt awful at how badly you performed on your first night. Said Nova here could do a better job."

Mark blinked. "The dog?" he trailed a hand down to pet the dog, smiling at it sniffed and licked his fingers for any trace of crumbs. "Heyoo bubby, who's a sweetie-pie? I love puppers! She yours?"

"Yeah, about a year old maybe two. She's an Australian shepherd dog, managed to bring her with me when I moved here. Of course she doesn't give up easily when she wants something... which brings me to you" Mark could only frown lightly at the connection. "You givin' up? Or coming in on Wednesday?"

"Give up?... Not a chance, I'll do my five nights and I'll be the King of Freddy's" Mark grinned.

* * *

 

**T̫͎̫̫͖̺͉ͥ̑͜ͅǒ͙͕̄ͬ̌̐̈ͮͣ̓m̐͗̍̍͏͎̱o̝̗͍͚̜̞̣ͬ̔ͦ̂ͅr̷͓̯̳͚͍̼͇̽ͭ̾̅ͮ̈́̾r̸̳̞̩͍̰̖ͪ́̆̏̀̚͞ơ̢̙͉̬̠̫̯̼̟̿̿ͤͥ͜w̶̱̪̞̱̖̺̓ͣ͌̈́̔͝ ̧̛̰̤́̓̅̈̾͢i̯̩̿̂ͥͥ́̍̒͛͠s̢̞̻͐͋ ̸̨̝͙ͥ̿ͫ͗̆͒̂̇ạ̪͖̫́̌͘n̷̄̓̐̔҉̰͈͈̹o͚̰̮̬͔̥͂̒̍̓̿̎ͅt͇̩̝̖͊ͥ̌̃ͫ̾ͮh̸̴̬͈̰ͦ̉ͫͬ̃͗ȅ̘̹̠̳ͥ͆̿̏̑ͩ͢͢r̴̴̲̲̬͕̘̄ͯͮͅ ̫̐̔̈ͮ͑ͧ́̓͊͢d̳̘̅̋̄̅̽͛͢a̖̠̖̰̱̟̓̇̔͗y͉̬ͤ̉͠.̂͛ͮ̂̑͏̜̮̼͙̥͟**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Back again with a new chapter. Feedback is very much appreciated, there is still no beta reader at the moment so doing that myself. Sorry it's a slightly shorter chapter... ran out of ideas towards the end and I've been pretty busy with some SFM.
> 
> (If you want to imagine Chica's voice, see if you can find TheRPGMinx on YouTube.)

Y̓̇͒̚óͤͥ҉u̼͕͔̻͔̅͊ͨ ̬̘͍͎̣̻̫̀̋c̷̯͓ͭͣ̊̈́a͖̒̓͒͌͂m͇͓̖̱̞͕̓͛ͦ͝ě̼ͪ̄̅̅̔ͦ ̹̞̰̩͖̺̞̂͒̔ͣ̾ͣͤb͕̅a͉̰͎̥͇͛̂ͩ̐c̵̖̭͈̈́̄ͭ̃͊k̶̳̦̗̠̫ͩͩ͊̌̓?̢ͣ̉̀̔ͮ͆ͨ

 

* * *

Monday and Tuesday were spent more or less the same way, at home cleaning and moving about furniture as well as looking at new wallpaper. Since the accident Mark found it harder to simply sit still or relax and found himself focusing on things he would normally ignore... the placement of that damn coffee table in his living-room being one of them. He'd snagged his toe on it countless times yet never thought to move it until now... perhaps he needed that bang on the head after all.

Wednesday came around all too fast and before Mark knew it, he was standing in the parking lot before the doors of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, the mascot over the sign looking more sinister now than when Mark first came to see it... perhaps it was just a trick of the light or his newfound knowledge swaying his view on reality. He was getting too worked up over it, after all what could the animatronics do? They were simply performing for children meaning they certainly didn't need any strength to them, heck he could probably push them over just using his pinky finger! Though perhaps that wasn't something to try out just yet...

"Mark? Come on in they're just about finishing up in the kitchen, I'll see if I can persuade Chica to give you a cupcake and trust me, they-are-delicious! Come on!" Chris was all smiles as he beckoned Mark in, that ever-faithful Australian Shepherd by his side... images like that just made Mark want a dog even more, he loved dogs!

Inside the pizzeria still smelt like fresh pizza, dough and cupcakes. It was something akin to walking into a bakery and just set Mark's stomach grumbling for whatever was left even if it was cold. The tables had already been cleared and cleaned, the floors mopped and blinds drawn yet the main lights remained on as the cleaners finished their final sweep of the restaurant.

"Hey, is Chica in the kitchen?" Chris asked one of the workers who simply nodded and pointed over to the kitchen door. It was only at that moment did Mark realise that Chica, the duck (chicken) animatronic was not on the stage with the other two... wait, that couldn't possibly be right...

His thoughts were interrupted as Chris began to drag Mark over and push him into the kitchen.  
It wasn't a bad kitchen though perhaps a little small for such a busy establishment. Cream plastic laminate counters and cherry-wood cupboards, two stainless steel gueridons parked in one corner and a large professional looking pizza oven taking up much of the backwall. At one of the counters... was Chica. She appeared to be fiddling with a candle shaped like the number eight and didn't seem to notice Chris or Mark... a reason why Mark began backing up slowly only to bump into Chris who nudged him further into the room before calling out to the duck (chicken). Drat.

"Hey Chica, got any spare cupcakes lyin' about?" He grinned, perhaps sensing how nervous or seeing the slight glare Mark gave him.

Chica looked over, tilting her head slightly. "Chris? Shouldn't you be on your way home by now?" her voice wasn't too light and not too girlish, punchy almost and held a slight undertone that could only be her voice modifier.

Chris chuckled lightly and wandered over, his hand on Mark's shoulder and dragging the guard along with him despite his obvious reluctance. "Nah, thought I'd stick around for tonight to keep twinkle-toes here in check you know? Make sure he doesn't break anything more than his head this time." Chica then looked to Mark who practically cowered under her pink-eyed gaze. Why did he find these damn mascots so intimidating? Oh yeah, because they were moving and talking on their own... partly to his relief however, the duck (chicken) made her way out the room without a word though did glare at Chris who simply chuckled lightly.

"Ah... yeah, they're not that happy with you right now, they think you got off easy on the first night" he added. "Plus... it is now uh, 11:52 so we've only got eight minutes to be in the office. In fact you go there now and I'll grab some grub for the night." Chris smiled and began rooting through the fridge.

Mark deadpanned and shook his head. "I uh... think I'll stick with you if that's alright you know? Wouldn't want me knocking myself out again..." he muttered, lowering his gaze to his shoes for a moment. Truth be told he was still feeling rather embarrassed about the whole ordeal since Chris seemed so relaxed about the animatronics to the point he was having 'conversations' with them. It looked a little crazy but Mark couldn't help but be envious of the level of confidence Chris seemed to possess, he was just so calm, collected... 'King of Freddy's' indeed, unlikely Mark would ever gain such a title...

* * *

Midnight came around and both Mark and Chris stowed themselves away in the office, Mark in the old black leather office chair and Chris having dragged a chair from the main hall... despite a slight glare from Freddy himself though Mark wasn't around to see it. The moment the digital clock on the desk struck twelve, Chris having brought one in to give Mark a clear view on his time to help him conserve power, Mark was glued to the camera screen on the tablet and watching the stage like a hawk.

"Hey hey, you're just gonna waste all your power like that!" Chris scolded and patted Mark's shoulder causing him to jump slightly. He'd seen a fair few night-guards in his time at the restaurant but he'd never seen one so nervous... maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he helped out... just a little? Freddy of course would have his hide at 6:30 if he discovered the treachery but he could handle that bear, it was the o҉t͝h̨er̵ one that worried him...

Mark grumbled and sighed heavily. "Well what am I supposed to do? If I don't keep an eye on them how will I know to shut the doors?".

"Okay, let me let you in on a little secret... okay? It's technically still your first night since you... well... anyway, Freddy and Foxy won't move tonight and Chica shouldn't bother you much either. It's only the rabbit you need to worry about tonight okay? Now if Chica disappears she'll probably just go to the kitchen, she's a bit of a neat freak so she'll spend the night cleaning up and organizing things in there but if she does decide to pay a visit, she will ONLY use this corridor here" Chris tapped the tablet to bring up the East hallway as well as point to the right door. "Think of it this way, Chica has a cupcake and cupcakes are made in the kitchen which is to your right so if you can't find her at all, check the door..."

"...to my right. Okay... s-so the rabbit only goes to the left door?" Mark was slowly beginning to understand. He may feel dumb for having it explained to him in such a manner but at least he was learning and that's what was going to save his ass... and his paycheck with any luck. "What about the fox and the bear? Where d-"

"Ah ah ah! Don't think about Foxy or Freddy, just focus on the rabbit right now because he's left the stage." True enough, Bonnie wasn't in his place and Chica was looking ready to move too though was looking off to her left suggesting she was probably going to the kitchen, as Chris had suggested.

Mark began poking the cameras almost frantically to find the rabbit, checking the kitchen, bathrooms, main hall and... repair room at which point he almost dropped the tablet as Bonnie was right up in the camera. "Geezus fuck! What the hell is that!?" Mark huffed and scowled at the rabbit on the screen. "Almost gave me a fuckin' heart attack..." he muttered.

Chris just managed to hold back a laugh, just, before patting Mark's shoulder again. "You don't need to really look for him Mark, just leave the camera on this hallway here and turn on sleep mode. You should be able to hear their footsteps anyways, they're not exactly the lightest..." Chris sighed and sat back again, sipping some of his cola and eyed the left door for a moment. "To be honest most of the time you won't need to look at the camera unless Foxy or Freddy are walkin' about. Any other time you'll just be able to hear them coming."

* * *

By some miracle, a miracle named Chris, Mark survived his first night with little incident and the power remaining at twelve percent.  
"Damn, to think without you there I'd probably have flailed and lost... but... what happens if I DID lose...?" Mark muttered, he couldn't help but be curious now. Why was it so important to keep them out the office? More importantly, why were they trying to get IN the office...

"Oh? They'd probably just... you know it's hard to say really, they're all different in what they want. I'd have to say though that Freddy and Bonnie are the ones you'll need to watch out for... a-and Foxy come to think of it..." Chris tilted his head, leaning over to switch off the fan which only gave Mark his second question.

"That fan... if we need to be saving power, why is that fan on all night? A-And why does using the camera drain the power so much? It's not even hooked up to anything and I'm sure as hell those camera's don't use that much power..." he grumbled and Chris could only blink. Maybe he had a point?

"Well... I-It's more of a test I think? Management wants to know if you can be trusted, we've had a few shady people work for us in the past and some of them have ruined our reputation, that's why we had the latest staff overhaul and only the best of us got to stay. Drug dealers, thieves and..." Chris stared off in thought for a moment, his skin visibly paled at a certain thought before he shook his head and smiled though it was possibly a forced one. "Come on, let's go double-check the doors. The staff comes in at seven and they do the most amazing breakfast you'll ever taste, I think you've earned it."

* * *

After a beautiful breakfast of mini-pancakes with syrup, strawberries and a cappuccino, Mark was feeling more awake despite the current time of morning.  
"So... suppose you'll be off to bed for the day?" Chris sighed, stretching and leaning back on his chair whilst Mark glanced over to the stage.

"Nah, I'll probably head home and take a look at some more dogs. Landlord is letting me get a dog as long as its trained and quiet... I've been looking at this one, she's a labrador or golden retriever type, super sweet thing." Mark smiled just thinking about it. He really did love dogs and seeing Chris with his dog only made him want one even more.

Chris returned the smile and nodded. "Oh, best of luck to you then! Who knows, maybe she could make friends with Dusk here." he leaned down to ruffle the fur of the dog's head who tried licking at the hand in response before turning back to its own breakfast, the staff having brought some ham and mushy peas which was apparently a favourite dish for Dusk. "You'll have to double-check with the boss if you can bring her in, they're a little nervous since they can't have a dog fouling anywhere and biting at the animatronics."

"Ah don't worry! She'll be spoilt rotten but I'll teach her everything she needs to know."

"Guess that'd make her the Princess of Freddy's?"

"Mm... King's apprentice."

"She'd probably overthrow you." Chris laughed.

* * *

.

W̴̥̺̝͔̼̳ͧͣ̿͐̔̚o̳̯͍͆͗̾̎͊͒͜u̵̜̱͕̦̜̞̿ͭͣͩḷ͇̝̰̗͔̪͓̇͌ͪ͆ͤd͚̼͔̜̼̑͑̐̇̓̄͊ ̸͇̘̯̏̅ͬ͌͟͢ị̶̶̧̞̣̫̭̻̊ͅt̜̩̩̩͈ͤ̏̓̎̊͆ ̛̪͖͔͖̮̤̹́͘͢b͔͉̼̠ͪͫ̑͝͝ȩ̘͍̞̰̳̼̫̰̞͂̏̆̐͝ ̸̫̤̠̝̰̰͓̝ͣ͋t̢̙̝̠̗̑ͮ̇̂̓̌ͬ͢ͅő̜̟̥̜̥̻̳̅̋ͯ̏ͅo̧̥̖̠͋̆͆͌ͪ̕͞ ̹̰̠̠̗̯ͤ̌m̴͔̠̰͔͎͕͒ͨ̉͛̊͊̋ȕ̶̠̩̠͇̯̫̬ͦ́c͎̳͗ͣ͂ͮ͑͟ḫ̢̄ͩ͊?̸͔̪ͤ̌͂̈́


	3. The Old Intruder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y̥͈̝̓ͬ̀͝ỏ̶͔̖̗̦̼̆̓ͧ͆͑̏͞ű̵̟͇̲̩̄̊ͩ̇̈́̀r̫͙͈̉͘̕͜ ̴͔̦̑ͬ̓͊ͯ͋̾s̡̮̟͇͈̲̼͙̀͌̆̓ͪ̑̓͐́͡ĭ̬͖͖͑ͤ̊ͨ͡͞ĺ̵̰̤̣̘ͪ͘e̷̴̗̯͖͇̅ͨ́̚̚ṋ̯͇̬̆̍̔ͭ̇͠c̢̭̺̻͖̫͓̞͚ͩ͌͟ḛ̫̯͙͖̠̏̌͡ ̸͕͖̣ͮͥ̏̎̓ͭ͘į̸͍̬͓̹̻̈ͮͯ̋͊sͬ̅͆̊҉̺̱̝̺̩ ̷͛̋̉҉̸͉͍͙͙̖͖c̨̢͚̬̱̘͓̝̦̭̔̾̎̈̇ͤ͆ͬ̏o̧̝͓̪̻͕̻̱̞̪ͫ̓ͤ̈̆ͥ̅͌̓n̶̶̢͕͚̼͖̬̮͍̖ͤ͋̏f̡̛̞̞̤̺̦̿̒ͣ̿̀ͅͅī̢̨̟̼̫̼̜̦ͨ͐̐̆͒͗ͭ̚ȑ̦̲̣̺͖͕̙̎́̚͟m̷̯̠̜ͨ̀̐i̟̭̜͚͎̘͇̹̇̀̀ṋ̶̙̣ͣ̏ͣ̿ͩͦ̂̚ģ̱̮ͨͯ͋ͣ͐̒̏̌ͧ͝
> 
> A/N: Ideas lacking once again but with any luck this one should prove a little longer than previous ones? Let's hope anyways...  
> Feedback is very, very much appreciated so please let me know if you're liking the story so far.

 

**Thursday.**

At home, Mark contemplated sleeping several times before forcing himself into the bathroom to have a long, hot shower to clean up. Though staying up late wasn't an off thing for him, he preferred a good night sleep... who wouldn't? Sleep is great! Fighting the urge for some 'personal' time to celebrate his survival of the night at Freddy's, he cleaned himself up, dried and threw on an old pair of grey jeans, blue Pacman t-shirt and black jacket. Sure his jacket had a hole here and there but it was his go to, something he'd had for years and absolutely loved... not to mention the amount of pockets it had made it real easy to carry everything and anything he needed. A quick check of his E-mail, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and Mark was soon out the door and on the bus, headed to the other side of town to meet someone.

Truth be told Mark didn't much like taking public transport but needs must since he could barely afford fuel for his car... plus the bus fare was much cheaper. At any rate, Mark now found himself on the other side of town standing before the gates of Ambridge Rescue Centre, a haven for neglected, lost or otherwise unwanted pets. Though buying a puppy would be an easier choice a shelter dog just felt better on his conscience, gave him the feeling of giving an abused or neglected pet a better home and life... there was something heroic about it. Of course he wasn't just doing it for his own sake, he genuinely wanted to help and the dog he'd seen there he simply couldn't say no to.

She was a young Golden Retriever Labrador mix, having been abandoned when her previous owners realised how big she was going to be... and rambunctious. True enough Labradors are renowned for their destructive nature as a puppy but with the right training their energy could easily be redirected into something positive... it was just a shame that many owners simply didn't know how to or even want to put the effort in... so many dogs like her were left abandoned and many of them didn't even make it to a shelter. The thought chilled Mark and infuriated him beyond belief. At least he could save her... Chica.

* * *

After a busy day running about collecting all manner of dog-supplies ranging from beds to bones Mark finally took Chica home. To be expected she was nervous, hiding under the table for ten minutes or so before plucking up the courage to wander about the apartment, sniffing at pretty much everything though seemed more content on sniffing Mark's shoes, picking up the scents of everywhere he'd been and no doubt the pasta he'd stepped in walking up the street... at least, he hopes it was pasta...

With the bed, bowl, collar and other toys set up, it soon became time for Mark to sleep... his shift only a few hours away. Setting his alarm, he settled to bed to catch as much sleep as he could, he was going to need it if Freddy and the others were going to give him a harder time as the week progressed.

* * *

A few hours later, Mark was woken by a very loud whining and howling, Chica having woken up from the incessant buzzing of the alarm... alarm! At least Chica woke him up, he'd completely forgotten to turn up the volume on his phone's alarm. Taking a glance at the phone, he realised that was the second, maybe third time it had buzzed him to wake up... time was now 11:47pm giving him only thirteen minutes to throw on his clothes, grab a shower, breakfast, lock up and of course decide whether or not Chica would be allowed to join... or to leave her at home. One look at those big brown eyes, golden fur and wagging tail and his choice was made.

Mark finally arrived at the restaurant with only a minute or so to spare. Admittedly he'd skipped the shower but a good spray of deodorant and a baseball cap would cover that... right? Dinner had also been skipped... he could always hold out hope for another amazing breakfast or even some leftover pizza. Didn't even matter if it was cold, as long as it was somewhat edible... As promised Chris and Dusk were waiting patiently in the main hall though Freddy was already off the stage...

"Sorry I'm late! I-I uh... alarm... ran out of batteries!" he muttered, closing the door behind himself and ushering Chica in. He'd keep her on the leash for now... no telling how she'd react to Dusk or moving animatronics. Her history was a troubled one, having been abused and abandoned by her previous owner but Mark was willing to do anything to help change her outlook, perhaps it was just his own helpful and friendly personality in wanting to help, his own loneliness or maybe the big, sad brown eyes just screamed at him to help her. She was just so cute, so adorable... how could anyone possibly hurt or abandon her?

Chris offered a smile, looking up from his pizza. "No worries, you hungry?"  
Dusk perked her ears and tilted her head, eyeing Chica who for now seemed content on hiding behind Mark's legs.

"Starving! Had to skip breakfast and a shower just to get here..." he muttered, wandering over to grab a slice only to have his arm yanked away.

"Get. To the office. Now." Freddy growled, his eyes black and his grip tight on the guard's arm.

To say Mark pissed himself wasn't true... but it was very close to being so as he dropped the pizza only for it to be snagged by Chica... seems she was equally as hungry.  
"U-Uh... r-right! Yep!" Mark nodded quickly as Freddy relinquished his grip, the moment this happened of course Mark bolted off across the dining-hall and down the hallway, skidding past the door of course and into the wall. Luckily he remained upright and shot into the office, planting his butt on the chair whilst Chica had followed closely, hiding herself under the desk. Not a minute later, Chris and Dusk sauntered in.

"Needing a new pair of pants already?" He chuckled only for Mark to scowl at him, not at all amused by the remark.

"NO! He just took me by surprise... that's all!" He lowered a hand to pet Chica and comfort her which luckily she seemed to appreciate. "Same deal as last night then? Pressing buttons and staring at cameras?" he sighed.

"More or less... that said, I think I should hook up the outside camera's for live feed on the big monitor as well... caught someone wandering about out there earlier, checking out the windows and cars..." Chris frowned. "Managed to send him on his way but, he seemed very much intent on staying... the gang were on edge all day after that, couldn't even bring them to the back-room for their daily break-time..."

To say or even hint that those animatronics had feelings was... still something Mark didn't quite want to believe. Robotics were dangerous enough but adding emotions into the mix could make them lethal should they feel offended or insulted enough. After all, how did they know when to calm down? Was there some kind of safeword to shut them down? Questions like that had been buzzing and rattling in Mark's skull ever since he saw them moving that first night. Tonight however, he was going to get some answers and Chris was going to tell him one way or another.

"Chris..." Mark began only for the Aussie to interrupt with a laugh of triumph having hooked the outside camera's to the big monitor on the wall above the desk.

"There we go! Now... there... are... three? What? No that's not right, there should be at least five cameras. Something's... something's not right..." Chris muttered, tapping the screen then double-checking the cables leading up from a hatch in the floor under the desk. Five cables, only three camera's online.

"Something's not right? Maybe it's this conveniently open door here?" Bonnie chimed suddenly. Sure enough in the left doorway was the purple/blue rabbit, grinning almost mischievously at the two guards, more-so Mark who leaned back, possibly hoping to bury himself in the chair and be one with his environment... but it was clear he'd been spotted, the chuckle the rabbit gave at the attempt just confirming that fact.

Mark eyed the door button, Bonnie grinning wider as he noticed the intention. "Bit late isn't it?"

"SHUT UP!" Chris snapped abruptly, cupping his hands over the earphones he now had in to try enhancing the sound of whatever might be outside. Failing in that, he worked some more magic with the system, or the PA system to be more precise. Suddenly, the inside of the restaurant echoed with the sound of distant traffic, the occasional ruffle of leaves and howl of wind... and clang of metal, followed by a distinctive huff of what sounded to be a man.

Bonnie's smile instantly vanished as he perked his ears and stared up at the monitor, completely ignoring Mark at this point. The change in his demeanor was visible, no longer cheeky or menacing... well, yeah he was still menacing, he was a six maybe seven foot tall mechanical purple rabbit! How could it be anything but menacing? Regardless of that...

"We... have a visitor!" Chris started in a somewhat low tone before forcing it into an overly happy one, even giving a big smile... what was he up to? "Looks like we need to open again Bonnie, make sure Chica cooks him the best meal and Freddy is awake to give him a big ol' hug!" Chris winked, some hidden malice behind that smile.

The rabbit gave a brief grin before wandering out to the main hall once more, Chica and Freddy meeting him there the moment he entered.

Mark frowned and shook his head. "What? A-Aren't you going to call the police or something?"

"No use. He's already in the perimeter and the police don't normally patrol this area of town so they'll take a while to even get here. I think maybe we can scare them off ourselves and if they do report anything then they'll have to explain how they got onto the property in the first place." Chris replied casually as though it were another day on the job for him but the slight frown and tone of his voice hinted some worry and if Chris was worried, perhaps Mark should be too.

* * *

The trespasser made his way to the main door, granted it was a predictable way of entry but the easiest at this point in time. Shuffling his backpack on his back, he gripped the rusted crowbar tightly before jamming the one end between the two doors only to fall flat on his face as both doors simultaneously gave way and he tumbled into the main hall where he froze instantly, a deer in the headlights except, there were no lights... it was still dark and silent as the grave.

Somewhat confident from hearing no alarm, the man rose to his feet, standing 5'3" maybe and wielding a long stick. He began to fumble with his pockets before making his through the hall, bumping into tables, chairs and pretty much everything else in his way from the door to the kitchen which as apparently more important than raiding the office for whatever money or equipment was there...

Mark and Chris exchanged glances before creeping down the Eastern hallway, Freddy and Bonnie already at the kitchen door and waiting whilst Chica had silently made her way to the main doors to close and lock them once more.

Inside the kitchen, the intruder had begun rooting through the cupboards before pouncing upon the fridge. Spotting chilled meats, cupcakes and other chilled food he shrugged off his backpack before trying to start wrapping it all up and shove it into the bag only to freeze in place as the kitchen burst into light, Freddy, Bonnie, Chris and Mark filing into the room.

Bonnie pounced the man, grabbing his arms to pin them behind his back whilst pinning him to the fridge only for the man to suddenly collapse, perhaps from shock or... age? Taking a quick look Bonnie could immediately tell this wasn't exactly the average break-in. The man was fairly old, in his sixties at lease with an aged face, graying beard and blue worn eyes barely visible under the old tattered grey scarf wrapped about his lower jaw which of course slipped down as he fell, the stick turning out to be a walking stick...

"What the... hey! Who the hell do you think you are! Come on, breaking into a children's restaurant? You should be ashamed of-" Chris had clearly begun a rant he'd most likely been preparing in his head only to be silenced once Bonnie turned the man around to face the guards. "Oh shit I don't... Fergus!?"

Mark deadpanned and blinked at Chris who now seemed more concerned than angry as he rushed over to the man, pulling up one of the spare dining chairs from the stack in the corner of the kitchen to sit the old man down who'd begun fumbling in his pockets for something... an inhaler. Taking a few deep breaths from the device he began mumbling apologies which for the most part made little sense.

"Ferg, Fergus... Fergus? Mate, calm down would ya? You're not in trouble so... well, yeah you are... technically... look just, tell me what's going on. Why are you breaking in here and-" Bonnie interrupted the Aussie as he brought the bag over. "Why are you stealing turkey slices and cupcakes..."

"Th-They, they... they stopped my money. They won't pay me anymore and now the shelter has been moved over to Dukeham, I can't afford the bus to get there and no-one will give me a lift. I tried making money from the car-wash but I can't do it anymore with my knee playing up... I... it's all a mess, I-I'm so sorry Christopher, I'm so so sorry Chris, I didn't mean-" the mans voice was hoarse, signalling perhaps he was struggling with some form of cough or chest-infection which of course now made Mark feel a bit of a jerk... he was a sucker for sob-stories, heck Lion King still makes him cry!

"Look, calm down a'right? Just... Chica? Chica!" Chris called, both the yellow chicken and the dog rushing to the kitchen with Dusk not too far behind. "Chica... uh, chicken Chica... think you could set up the oven and cook him some pizza or something? Vegetables too! You might be poor but you're still getting at least something healthy..." Chris grumbled and set the bag on the back of the chair. "You can keep those... just don't let the chicken see them... she'd go nuts..."

Freddy tilted his head. "No hugs then?"

"No, no hugs doof." Mark flicked the bear's nose... in retrospect not a brilliant idea. The night might be on pause but once this was all over Freddy could easily up the difficulty for Mark and goodness knows what the bear could have in store.

"What's going on here?" Foxy poked his nose through the door and blinked at the scene with a look of confusion. He looked rather ruffled to say the least, his fur sticking up in places indicating he'd probably been in sleep mode for most of the night. "Who's that?"

Bonnie rolled his eyes, "The intruder... maybe you'd know if you weren't so damn lazy..."

"I'm not lazy! I'm waiting for repairs because Chri-"

"HEY! Stop with the yelling alright? Foxy, go back to the cove and sleep... I'll repair you when the company decides they want to listen to my request for more parts and Bonnie? just shut up, okay?" he groaned. Just a normal day for him considering the current situation between Foxy and Bonnie, the two rather peeved with one another. "Ferg, you stay here for the night. I'll have Chica cook you up some food and I'll see if I can't nab some old curtains from Foxy's cove so you have something to lay on... I'd offer a bed but uh..." Freddy gave Chris a look, prompting him to stop talking.

"Back to stage. Night's still on, no-one in the kitchen but Chica. Now." Freddy ordered, the animatronics filling out to their places.

"Th-Thanks Chris..." Fergus muttered, hanging his head in shame.

* * *

After some time of silence of Mark, Chris, Dusk and Chica (the dog) in the office Mark finally plucked up the courage to ask.  
"So... who's Fergus?"

The other guard gave a long sigh. "A um... a long story." he offered a smile despite the apparent attachment. "Fergus Benson... he's a homeless man living on Dayton Street, usually sitting on the bench outside Howzer's Café. I've... talked to him, a few times. Mostly I was just waiting there for Vin to get a lift to work and just so happened to start talking to him. He told me his name, where he used to live and what happened... just a string of bad luck which scarily can happen to any of us really. I uh, took pity on the guy and shelled out for a sausage roll and a coffee for him... it just seemed the right thing to do you know?" he asked, mostly to cover a sniffle at recalling such events.

"Y-Yeah... I think maybe I would have done the same too..." Mark reassured, patting Chris on the back before holding his shoulder as a means of comforting him maybe. It didn't seem like much but it's all Mark could really do at this point, listen. He loved helping other people and that much was just in his nature.

"Of all the things in the world I could get him, a sausage roll and a coffee made him cry. I could have brought him a pizza, a damn turkey roast for crying out loud but he was so happy with just that... I don't know, maybe I should have gotten more for him. So he thanked me again and again, hugged me at least four times before finally tucking into it. Vin came and I just... I told him." Chris shook his head. "I told him if he... if he really needed some food to just, come here and... I guess maybe he misunderstood what I meant."

Mark sighed, his own voice threatening to shake as he pat Chris on the back again. "You did the right thing... I know maybe you could have done more but that's not the point. You did something and that's what matters most, you helped someone in need." he offered a smile and a tissue from the pack in his pocket which Chris gladly accepted.

"So I met him more or less every day. Gave him half my sausage roll and coffee which he insisted I have the first half since he was now receiving a small amount of money and food from some welfare company, I can't recall it uh... Street of Hailbrook Welfare Shelter? I don't know, something like that... obviously not enough for any medication for um..." Chris halted himself and shook his head. "Not my place to say but he's just a nice old guy down on his luck."

"It happens to the best of us..." Mark added before a noise caught his attention and to his left, two magenta eyes glowing in the darkness and staring directly at him. Taken completely by surprise Mark could only freeze in place, unfocused on whatever Chris was saying now if he was even talking at all. Without another sound the rabbit, he could only assume it was Bonnie based on the left door and the eyes, disappeared from view away from the door leaving Mark rather confused indeed.

Why didn't the rabbit attack him? Screech, heck throw something at him? It was all rather confusing to say the least but for some reason he felt this was only the beginning of a long line of questions... and trouble.


End file.
